Released in 2011, Team Bondi and Rockstar Games attempted to usher in a new era of crime drama titles with the innovative L.A. Noire. An experience that demanded that players pick up on subtle environmental clues and read the facial features of NPCs, L.A. Noire stumbled a bit in execution, but it remains a fairly well-regarded deviation from the digital norm.
However, the game's greatest cultural impact came in the form of the notorious 'Press X To Doubt' meme template. Playing on protagonist Cole Phelps' ridiculously silly look of disbelief, it's a ubiquitous meme among gamers, and these are some of its very best uses.
Which One Is X?
Those loyal to a single console lineage may not be all that familiar with this struggle, but many gamers - and particularly retro enthusiasts - probably have to pause for a second before figuring out where to put their thumbs when told to press the 'X' button. It's never been consistent, and it gets to be a major headache after a while.
Posted to Memedroid in 2016, this meme may be old - the fact that it includes the Wii U control pad is a huge indicator of that - but it serves to underline the fact that this problem has been around for quite some time, and it likely isn't going away any time soon.
Press X To Buy More Microtransactions
Released in 2008, Dead Space was an out-of-left-field project for the often risk-averse EA. A niche sci-fi fright-fest that leaned heavily into body horror, it didn't have the same appeal as a Call of Duty or Battlefield. That said, it was successful enough to earn two sequels in 2011 and 2012.
Now, after a decade-long hiatus and the disbanding of the original developer, EA plans on bringing the franchise back via a remake in early 2023. As exciting as that is for fans, Dead Space 3 was more or less ruined by microtransactions, and, while the publisher claims they won't be making a return, many gamers remain doubtful.
Press Y To Shame
Most gamers are familiar with the now-classic "Press 'X' To Doubt" meme template, but fewer are likely to recognize the "Press 'Y' to Shame" meme. Taken from the 2017 title Middle-earth: Shadow of War, this is a twist on the traditional format that actually works pretty well with Cole Phelps' goofy expression.
The original meme features an orc, and the 'shame' prompt makes much more sense in context, as, in Middle-earth: Shadow of War, players can demote their orc followers by shaming them. It's a strange mishmash of a meme, but perhaps it's uniquely hilarious to those who've played both games.
Best Games, Best Prices
EA can't seem to catch a break from gamers these days, but the criticism is far from unwarranted. Electronic Arts have a history of nickel-and-diming players and monetizing titles to the point of unplayability. While its mobile outings and sports titles have suffered the most significantly, just about every franchise owned by EA has at some point felt the sting of their questionable philosophies and practices.
Ironically enough, the FIFA and NHL games seem to be featured prominently in this meme, and there's absolutely every reason to doubt that a gamer could get any kind of value out of them.
Press F To Doubt
PC gaming may afford more options to players, but the relatively high barrier to entry has turned it into something of an exclusive club, and those openly extolling the virtues of gaming on PC are typically branded "PC elitists." This group also often looks down on those who game on Apple hardware, as it's often not well-suited for gaming.
Hardcore PC gamers aren't likely to envy Mac owners, and this meme combines that sentiment with the oft-used "Press F To Pay Respects" meme, which is an old template made to poke fun at the excessive use of cutscenes in 2014's Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
Press X To Go Fast
Most fans of SEGA's flagship franchise agree that the past two decades of Sonic the Hedgehog video game installments haven't been all that great. In fact, from the disastrous pseudo-reboot in 2006 to the equally atrocious Sonic Boom: The Rise of Lyric in 2014, there have been many more duds than hits in recent years.
This quote, taken from the 2011 title Sonic Generations, has to have been facetious, as Sonic is actually talking to a past version of himself. He has to be aware that the future won't be nearly as bright as he's making it out to be.
Press X For Disappointment
It's been a rough year for fans of the Battlefield franchise; released in November 2021, Battlefield 2042 was by far the buggiest, most half-baked entry in EA's long-running FPS franchise, and many of the core tenets of the series had been stripped away in order to more easily introduce things like cosmetics and battle pass accessories.
However, during the lead-up to the game's launch, many felt as if Battlefield 2042 would be developer DICE's most ambitious outing yet. The scale of the entry was constantly touted, but gamers would have been wise to heed the advice of the creator of this meme.
Press Cross To Doubt
While just about every gamer insists that it's an X, Sony seems eager to assert that it's actually supposed to be referred to as the "cross" button. This may have something to do with esoteric legal issues between PlayStation and Xbox, though that doesn't change the fact that Sony will have their work cut out for them should they make a real push to change established gaming lexicon.
There's also the simple fact that "press cross to doubt" just doesn't roll off the tongue as well as "Press 'x' to doubt" does.